Tennis ball receptacle



Oct. 25, 1938. w. MARX TENNIS BALL BECEPTACLE Filed March 22', 19.37

Patented Oct. 25, 1938 UNITED STATE-S OFF ICE TENNIS BALL nEoEPTAoLE n Wa1ter Marx, White'stcne,v wNY Y.v v n i I Application March 22, 1937, Serial No. 132,206

, 4 c1aims. (ci. 11505572 v- My present invention relates to la receptacle for tennis balls and more particularly to a. construction of the above class in combination and co-operative with a tennis racquet'cover or con- 5. tainer. v Y

An object of the invention is to provide means for conning a number or group of tennis balls within a container at or near the'throat ofthe racquet.

A further object is to provide means for securing the cover of the racquet and the balls by a single instrumentality.

A wall of thecontainer is provided with a slot or opening slightly larger or longer than the di- Ii ameter of any one ofthe balls, through which slot said balls may be inserted ,and withdrawn and which functions as `a partial trap, so'that each ball must be removed andinserted by hand, one at a time, thus preventing their escape ,under normal conditions.

This slot or opening is preferablyjthrough underside wall of said container and as thuslocated, it would be hidden from view A and lcould be termed a secret entrance to the receptacleV or container.

The ball container or'pocliet is formed by onev or more pieces of preferably moisture-proof ina-Vy terial such as that. ofthe racquet bag or, other appropriate material, which maybe stitchedo/r` 3Q otherwise secured to theracquet bag overi the.

" throat of the racquetlwithin andi follows closely the shape of the throat portion of the 'racquet for minimizing a bulkly appearancewhen the; open end of the racquet bag is closed and secured.'

Afurther feature which will be appreciated by a tennis player resides in the fact that the tennis balls conne-d as shown and described will not interfere with the application of a racquet clamp for eliminating warpage when the racquet 40 is not in use, and further, the position of the container or pocket places the balls very close to the line of balance for convenience and comfort in carrying the racquet.

The position of the pocket further serves to protect the racquet strings from stretching strains when the racquet, through inadvertence, be deposited, pocket-side-down upon a hard surface.

This position of the racquet, were the pocketA placed near the center of the racquet, would cause damage to the Stringing by pressure of the balls,

through the weight of the racquet, especially if left in that position for a length of time.

In a modied form of my invention the pocket may be of any convenient shape but preferably of geometric trapezoid form in plan View, with closed top,gclosed downwardly 1convergent'sides andan YKopen'bottornor mouth, through which the tennis balls may be passed upwardly one at a time and'y grouped prior toM closing the mouth of the racquet bag which is" secured around'the "6' racquet handle by a tie stri-ng orf by other means.

The ledge of `the pocketA may be in-turned and securely stitched orotherwise connected to the racquet bag,l ors'aid ledge may beout-turned and Y stitched for producing al patchY effect. 10'

Pockets made and located according to my invention may, if desired, be attached to both sides of the racquet bag-inA one or more groups.

In;Y the' accompanying drawing, I have illustrated:i different practicalembodiments ofthe in- 1U ventiongibutetheconstruction shown therein are tobe` understood asv illustrativeuonlyand not as defining thev limits of the invention;A Y

- In the above mentioned (:lrawing: Y

Figlisa face view, partly broken away, 0f a 20 tennisfra'cquetj bag Withfmy invention secured thereon, and, av tennis racquet and aclamp thereon indicated; .Y `Y l Fig..^2 is across sectional elevation takenv on the broken""li`nej 2-'2 of l; q 25 Fig. 3= jis fa fragmentary view showing the racquet bag secured at its normally open end byjj atie string' or Vthe like; l

4".s' 'a :face view 'similar to Fig. 1, but showing a slightly'modified form of construction; 30

` Fig. 5 is ka crcssjsecticnal .elevation takenon the broken linevv 5f-510i Fig.. lli.Y Fig 6 vis a diagrammatic' side elevation of ai tennis racquet andjits cover shown with pockets for tennis balls secured to/opposite. sides'A of the 35 racquet cover. I

Referring now to the drawing in detail, I0 designates a standard tennis racquet having the usual throat portion II, merging into a handle I2 and for the purpose of this description, I shall 40 use the .descriptive terms top, bottom, upper, lower, etc., when pointing out the posi-v tions or locations of the parts as here illustrated in the several views.

'Ihe racquet bag or cover I3, is shown in Figs. 45 1 and `2, as placed on over the racquet with itsr lower open mouth I4 or edge falling considerably below the throat of the racquet to provide wing portions I5, for folding around the upper portion of the handle I2 to be secured:v by a tie 50 string, strap or the like here shown at I6, fastened on the racquet cover I3 at some convenient point as' I 6a to close the bag.

In carrying out my invention, a pocket Il, herev shown as of general triangular form in face view, -55

is attached to one wall or thickness I3a of the bag material I3, by stitching I8 or the like through .said wall and through an inturned flange or margin I9 of the sides or side-Walls 2D, of said pocket and entirely around and within the pocket.

The bottom of this pocket is the top wall I3a, of the tennis bag or cover I3, and ls provided with a slot or opening 22, preferably extending longitudinally of the bag with its center on the median line of the racquet head and its handle I2, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. This slot 22 is of a width and lengthV to permit, by a slight margin of space, the passage of the tennis balls, one at a time into and out of the pocket I'I and constitutes, in effect, a partial-trap, so as to eliminate the possibility of escape or dropping out of the balls when the racquet cover is removed and handled.

The side edges of the slot 22, are turned up-W The pocket I'l is so located that the tennis balls therein either wholly or partially rest'on the throat portion of the racquet frameas shown in Fig. 1, so that there is no injurious contact with the racquet strings should said racquet be placed pocket side down, and further, the balls within the pocket I'I, will not interfere with the application of a clamp indicated at 23 to prevent warpage of the racquet frame.

A modified form of pocket I'Ia, is shown in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawing, in which, said pocket may take the face contour of a geometric trapezoid with the tennis balls 2I snugly housed within its head or upper portion; the lower edge 24 being open to form a mouth or entrance 25 through which the tennis balls may be passed. l

The side and top walls of this trapezoid form of pocket have their edges turned outward `to form a iiange or` margin 26 for securing the pocket by stitching or other attachingmeans to the racquet cover or bag.

`The aforesaid mouth of thev trapezoid shaped pocket I'Ia is reinforced by a tie string 21'secured at its longitudinal center or along'its edge by stitching 28 to the upper layer of this pocket as lshown in Fig. 4, with the ends of the tie string free for securing the gathered wings I5 of the racquet cover and the lower open end of the ball pocket around the throat of the racquet which facilitates both the closing of the racquet bya The above described pocket construction is for the accommodation of three tennis balls, but it will be understood that pockets of various shapes for the reception of various groups of tennis balls may be employed as desired without departing from the spirit of my invention and further, the pocket of my invention should be close fitting so that a yielding binding action is exerted on all balls in a pocket to produce a smooth tailored vappearance and said pockets may be applied to opposite sides of the racquet bag in the position stated or in other positions on the surfaces thereof. Y

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a tennis racquet bag having an open lower end, of a number of tennis ball pockets attached to the outer sides of the bag'and substantially opposite the throat portion of the racquet therein; each pocket having a'slotted entrance through a wall connecting with the interior of vsaid bag and means for closing the bag when the racquet is not in use.

2. In-combination withV a tennis racquet cover with `an open end and a racquet within said cover, of a pocket for tennis balls fastened to said racquetY cover along all edges yof said pocket; a wall of said cover having a trapped entrance to said pocket; retarding shoulders extending parallel with the edges of said trapped entrance and fastening means for closing the open end of said racquet cover.

3. In combination with a bag havinga normally open end and a tennis racquet disposed therein with itshandle projecting through said opening, of `a pocket for tennis balls having a closed `outer side and an extended continuous side wall and circumposed means for attaching the sidewall to the outer side surface 4of said bag in a position opposite the throat portion of said enclosed tennis racket, an entrance into said pocket from inside of therbag and means for closingtheopen end of said bag around said handle. l.

Vll. A'tennis ball carrier comprising inV combination with a tennis racquet bag having an open mouth; a pocket cutr andshaped to receive in snug connement a determined number of tennis balls, said pocket having .a closed top and a surrounding continuous wall, circumposed stitching -for. securing said pocket to a side ofV said bag at a` point removed 4from saidmouth, a passagefor said balls between the bag and said pocket and. means for closing the said mouth around the usual projecting racquet handle.

WALTER MARX. 

